


Phobia #3 Abandonment

by IceboundEmu



Series: Lovelink Phobia Series [3]
Category: LoveLink (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fear of Abandonment, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27864758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu
Summary: Athazagoraphobia: Fear of being Forgotten, Ignored or Abandoned.Autophobia: Fear of being alone, or lonely.MC learns Austin has both
Relationships: Austin Russo/MC
Series: Lovelink Phobia Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034190
Kudos: 23





	Phobia #3 Abandonment

**Author's Note:**

> Phobia #3 in the series, thanks to FireBirdie94 who helped with working out what the fearless Austin could possibly be worried about. 
> 
> Read and enjoy, comments always welcome.

It was shaping up to be a strange day.

Daring to take your eyes of the road for a moment, you were currently sitting in nose to tail traffic and were unlikely to be going anywhere for a while, you glanced across at your travelling companion, expecting at any moment to wake from what felt like a fever dream.

It had been an uncharacteristically early start to your day, the phone had woken you from a sound sleep at five am. Fearing the worst, that one of your family had been involved in some sort of accident you’d answered the unidentified number and found yourself talking to the last person in the world you’d expected to.

Receiving a phone call from Austin would have been good enough, but the news they’d hurried forward his release date due to a fast spreading infection currently affecting the country it had been something of a dream come true for you. The fact his impending release had meant you’d had to almost immediately leap out of bed and into the car to start driving so you arrived at the prison in time for his release wasn’t going to dampen your mood.

It had been a close call though, you’d arrived in the car park with a few minutes to spare thanks to several traffic snare ups and barely had time to pull into a parking space before you were approached by a guard wearing full medical PPE who took your name and who you were there to collect with as few words as possible. You were sure he’d rolled his eyes at you when he thought you were looking in your bag for your ID. As soon as your identity was confirmed he’d vanished as quickly as he arrived, reappearing moments later with the object of your affections, who look completely gobsmacked that you were there.

You’d motioned at him to get into the car, waiting for him to put his seatbelt on before starting the engine. The silence had remained until you pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the road, at which point Austin awkwardly clearing his throat drew your attention.

“So, you came.”

It wasn’t hard for you to believe Austin had convinced himself you wouldn’t be there when he walked out of the doors.

“You thought I’d miss out on a chance to meet you in person?”

Choosing your words carefully (You knew how easy it was to rub Austin the wrong way) you hoped it had come across as a light-hearted retort. Still, his reply when it came was hesitant, almost as though he was testing each word before he uttered it.

“It’s been a while…I thought you might have…”

He trailed off, not that you needed him to end the sentence to understand what he was implying.

“Austin, I don’t care if I had to wait a hundred years to see you. There’s never going to be someone else for me.”

“Oh…”

He’d fallen into silence after that and shooting him a glance showed he’d leant back in the seat and closed his eyes. You were content to let him reach out again in his own time, you figured he was probably exhausted from his early start and could benefit from the rest. It had lasted until you’d hit traffic on the highway, where he’d jerked awake as the car came to a stop, looking around in dazed confusion.

“Bad dream?”

He looked perplexed at the question, before shaking his head as if to clear the fog from it.

“Can’t remember…don’t remember falling asleep…how long?”

You decided he was asking about how long he’d been out.

“About an hour.”

“Sorry.”

“What for?”

Now it was your turn to look confused. You weren’t worried if he needed sleep, at some point you’d have to decide where you were spending the night, with the traffic at a standstill and your own energy waning it was apparent you wouldn’t be getting all the way home tonight. Luckily, this was what mobiles were invented for. Yours was sitting on the dashboard, you snagged it, unlocking it and passing it to Austin who looked at you for further prompting.

“Find us a place to stay for the night, we’re not going to get home in this.”

It was times like this you were thankful you kept a travel bag in the car for such situations, you’d got provisions for an overnight stay as well as a change of clothes constantly on hand. Austin on the other hand looked worried.

“I don’t actually have anything else to wear.”

The prison hadn’t exactly been generous in the clothes they’d provided him with you realised, taking a proper look at him. The T-Shirt he was wearing was old and stained and the jeans looked like they were on their last wear. They’d also been kind enough to provide him with a pair of battered trainers which looked on their way to parting with the soles. Your tax dollars at work you thought wryly, and he shrunk back under your gaze.

“Find somewhere near some shops then and I’ll treat you to some retail therapy.”

He looked terrified at the prospect.

“I…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand every step of the way.”

Strangely enough he seemed to relax at that, filing it away in your brain as something to raise with him later you waited for him to tell you where to turn off.

It wasn’t until you settled down in the motel for the evening your brain reminded you of your earlier query. Austin had settled next to you on the king-size bed having showered and changed into fresh clothes, you’d been studying the patterns on the ceiling as you tried to decide what you wanted to eat for dinner.

“Do you not like crowds of people?”

Your question surprised you, still now it was out in the open you waited patiently for Austin to answer.

“Don’t have a problem with them? Why do you ask?”

“You looked worried when I suggested shopping earlier. I thought you might not like crowds or something?”

Ideally this would be the point he’d explain the something, but if previous conversations with Austin were anything to go by, he could prevaricate with the best when he wanted to.

“Do you promise not to laugh?”

Apparently, this wasn’t one of those times, you rolled onto your side, so you were facing him, before answering.

“Why would I laugh?”

That worried look was back.

“I thought I might lose you there…or you’d leave and never come back…”

Self-preservation kicked in and your rational mind warned you if you laughed at what Austin had just admitted he’d likely never speak to you again. In a brief few seconds before he’d managed to hide it again, you’d seen the terror in his eyes at the thought.

“So, when I said I’d hold your hand? You feared being abandoned by me?”

He blushed and you mentally replayed your trip to the mall and the way his grip had tightened whenever the crowds forced you to walk single file. Cautiously you reached out to him, enveloping him in a one-armed hug and feeling him snuggle closer to you. Reciprocating he wrapped his free arm round you and you lay there in silence for a few moments, drawing comfort from each other’s presence.

“My Mom left my Pop when I was still little, they argued about something and she stormed out, taking me with her. We travelled round for a few weeks, sleeping on people’s sofas till one day she took me to the park and…”

He trailed off.

“And?”

You guessed how the story was going to end. Still, you needed to hear him say it.

“She left me there. She walked off and she didn’t come back.”

“How did you?”

“She must have called my Pop and told him where I was, because the next thing I knew he turned up as I was panicking, scooped me up and took me back home.”

His grip had tightened till it was bordering on painful, still you said nothing, instead shifting your own grip so you could cup his cheek with your hand, running your fingers across his hair in what you hoped was a soothing motion as he struggled for control.

“I wouldn’t do that to you Austin.”

He didn’t seem to hear your attempt at reassurance.

“From then on, I wouldn’t let Pop out of my sight, I couldn’t shake the idea that he’d tire of me like Mom had and leave me. Then there was Bennie…”

He gave a full body shudder at the thought of his hated half-brother.

“He was always there in the background…always telling me when no one else could hear that Pop would leave me like Mom did. The more he told me that the tighter I clung to Pop. I’d scream if Pop left the room…”

He broke off, face grey. You wished for more than a moment that you’d done more than pepper spray Bennie when you collected the evidence to exonerate Austin.


End file.
